Did you know Henry Ford invented a hemp car that ran on hemp?
There’s been rumor of a car made entirely out of hemp that ran on hemp oil made by Henry Ford in 1941. This car was revealed the car as “the car of the future” sporting a plastic body made from natural fibers and resin binder. This made the car 300 pounds lighter and the plastic itself was rated to be 100 times stronger than steel. Not only that but it ran on vegetable oils, including but not exclusively hemp.
How does a hemp car work?
Rudolf Diesel invented the engine that made that possible, designing it to be able to run off all vegetable based oils in the form of alcohol fuel. Gasoline industry lobbied for high alcohol taxes while artificially keeping the cost of gasoline low so it was eventually the regular combustion engine that won out as far as mass adoption was concerned.
Try these hemp hearts and try running on hemp, yourself!
Not A Hemp Only Car
Many hemp activists have touted this as a hemp only car which is a bit misleading as the diesel engine runs on a lot more than hemp and the car itself doesn’t even contain 10 percent of total hemp fibers. In fact there’s actually more slash pine fiber than anything but there’s also straw and something called ramie in the cellulose part of the plastic blend. It’s still essentially a car made of bioplastic, but there’s a lot more in the mix than simply hemp.
Why does the Henry Ford Hemp Car No Longer Exist?
Regardless of the fact that it isn’t even a car made of entirely hemp like activists claim, it is a clear example of one industry with more political might essentially squashing what was a better option for the people. An early form of planned obsolescence if you will, because a material touted as stronger than steel is likely going to need a lot less maintenance. For example rust wouldn’t be a thing with plastic cars, now would it?
Check out this Homestead Guru Original: Grow Hemp Save the Bees!
Henry Ford’s Hemp Car Making a Comeback??
This could be an actual model for the future. For years Canada has experimented with this stuff since it’s been legal to grow hemp there. They’ve found cars made of plastics containing hemp increase fuel efficiency by 25% and that’s likely just by the weight difference alone. That makes a huge difference in any persons fuel budget without taking into considerations other upgrades such as electric hybrid capability or fully electric vehicles.
Is hemp legal?
Now in the United States as we shared recently hemp is legal to grow for industrial purposes. Perhaps people should take this viral bio plastic car design from the past and project it into the future. With our modern day techniques of building things the game would be changed. It’d not only be better for the environment but possibly safer in the event of crashes. This is if the 100 times stronger than steel statement holds up. This could be a technique perhaps for Tesla to use. With it they could make their cars more efficient which would lead to things like longer battery range. Think a hemp electric hybrid!
Henry Fords Hemp Car is MORE than Possible Today!
Here’s to the future! What I’m seeing with Henry Ford’s plastic car is that it’s totally possible today! It would likely really enhance how things are done in the auto industry. Much of the heavy metal on cars now has been replaced by fiberglass or plastic composites. The stuff that literally crumples when crashes happen. Perhaps a hybrid with this plastic would prove to be stronger, making for that lighter but also safer car.
Henry Ford Invented Hemp Cars that Ran on Hemp Fuel
